The storage and retrieval of digital data plays a significant role in many areas of modem technology. For example, computers, compact disk players, digital video disk players, digitized medical x-rays, and other devices all utilize digital data. As such, each of these devices requires a medium for storing digital data and, one or more mechanisms for storing and/or retrieving such data to and from the storage medium.
Due to the critical role digital data plays in the operation of many devices, it is essential to store such data in a manner that ensures reliable retrieval. In many instances, it is also important to substantially optimize the speed at which such data can be retrieved.
Heretofore mechanical devices have played a significant role in retrieval and recording devices. By way of example, floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, compact disk drives and digital video disk players, all require sophisticated mechanical structures which rotate the storage medium during retrieval of digital data. However, such mechanical devices are susceptible to premature failure. Indeed, in the typical case, the mechanical components of conventional storage and retrieval devices fail long before the useful lives of the electronics and electrical components associated with those devices have expired. Thus, there is a need for improved apparatus for reliably storing and retrieving digital data from a storage medium.
There are many well known storage media for storing digital data. Exemplary media include floppy disks, hard disks, compact disks, and digital video disks. Such media can be read-only, such as is typically the case with compact disks and digital video disks, or read-write, such as is typically the case with floppy disks and hard disks.
Traditional storage media have suffered from certain drawbacks. For example, some traditional storage media are expensive to manufacture. In addition, some traditional storage media are limited in the amount of data they can store per unit of space they consume. For example, a traditional 31/2 inch floppy disk can only store 1.44 megabytes of digital data. Thus, there is a need for an improved storage medium that is relatively inexpensive to produce and copy, and which has improved data storage density capabilities and a longer reliable lifespan. Some of these storage media use magnetic technology which has a very short reliable lifespan. The cd storage media may have a longer lifespan than the magnetic storage media, but its reliable lifespan is also considerably shorter than the recently developed electron-sensitive and/or UV light-sensitive film.